The Lions were promoted to the Championship in 2017 and have since established themselves as a dependable squad in the division. While they have placed eighth in three of the last six seasons, there has never been a concerted effort to get them promoted to the Premier League.
Despite losing just one of their last five games, a 3-0 home loss to promotion favorites Leeds United, they have had a decent start to the season, collecting 11 points in their first eight games. In an effort to pick up their play after last Saturday’s scoreless draw with West Bromwich Albion, they welcome struggling Swansea City to the stadium this weekend.
Millwall had a busy transfer window despite having one of the smallest rosters in the second tier and being unable to match the financial might of teams like Leicester City, Leeds, and Southampton. Wes Harding, a former Rotherham United fan favorite, was one of a select few free transfers, along with Casper De Norre, Kevin Nisbet, and Matija Sarkic. Rowett has put together a formidable bunch of players after also acquiring Brooke Norton-Cuffy, Allan Campbell, and Ryan Longman on loan.
The 49-year-old responded when asked if he thought this was the strongest team he had worked with since joining the organization in 2019.
It’s so difficult to say. I’m satisfied with the team, and I believe we have solid choices. If you were to ask, our current roster of 18 players might be the strongest, deepest, and best-quality group we’ve ever had. However, I believe that we are a little bit lighter this year than we were in years before simply because you’re trying to get the most out of what you have. Sometimes doing so entails adding a few extra players to the team, but doing so has a price.
The configuration is the one we’ve chosen for a variety of reasons. “I think we’re a team that is striving to progress in many ways, but I think sometimes after last season we just needed to evolve in a little different way. add a second striker, add more attacking players, and add a little bit more attacking players to the wing-back positions. Again, I believe we have reached a stage where we have been for the majority of seasons. Simply said, our challenge is to keep getting better.
The Championship is perhaps the strongest it has been in a while, but occasionally a shocker shows up, like Luton Town did last season. Rowett has challenged his players even though Millwall is not a team that is thought to be in the running for a promotion challenge;
If you look at the clubs that left thet division, it’s also more harder to stay in the one above. It’s a tough division to get out of. But indeed, it is the difficulty and what the squard has got to forward
The Championship is a difficult level, possibly one of the hardest in Europe, and Rowett is entirely correct in his evaluation of it. But over the years, we’ve witnessed a number of teams defy the odds and make it to the Premier League. There is no reason why Millwall can’t follow in the footsteps of teams like Blackpool, Huddersfield Town, Bournemouth, and most recently Luton Town, who have all accomplished the seemingly unachievable.
The three teams who were relegated last season will all be there or thereabouts come May, whereas the teams vying for the promotion positions are better prepared to contend for the top six. With teams like Preston North End, Hull City, Sunderland, and Norwich City thrown in, playing in the top flight will always be an impossibility at The Den.
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